Fish/very sick goldfish

I have had my goldfish for 5 years now and he has always been very happy and healthy.all of a sudden he stopped eating and his body became very swollen. Now for the past 24 hrs red stringy mucous is coming out of his anus which is very red and enflamed. Is there anything I can do for him I am desperate to save him. He is in a 30 litre tank and am in the process of upgrading him to a 50 litre.

AnswerHi Verity,
Unfortunately I do not know much about goldfish. It certainly appears like your fish has some sort of intestinal infection. In some places, there are medications which you can purchase to help deal with this sort of thing, but many other places have outlawed those medications so I do not know what is available in your area. Sorry.

Ron Coleman

Expertise

I am an expert on cichlid fishes, particularly New World cichlids. My broader expertise includes the behavior, ecology and reproduction of fishes in general. (I am NOT an expert on Goldfish). Please do not use abbreviations, such as "my GT has a swollen eye" because I don't know what a "GT" is. The more clearly you can explain your question, the better chance I have of understanding what it is that you seek. I keep fishes both as a scientist and as a hobbyist and I currently maintain about 140 aquariums.

Experience

I am an Associate Professor at the California State University, Sacramento in the Department of Biological Sciences, and I run a website, called the Cichlid Research Home Page . I also write for many popular aquarist magazines, and I was editor of Cichlid News magazine for several years. I am a scientist and I spend my time teaching fish biology, ecology, behavior and evolution and doing research on the reproductive biology of fishes, particularly cichlids. I do research in the laboratory and in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico. My main interest is understanding the evolution of parental care in fishes. I am interested in encouraging greater public awareness, understanding and participation in science.